Inti Raymi 2027
The Inca new year, staged on the fortress above Cusco.
Countdown to Inti Raymi 2027
Dates
When is Inti Raymi?
Inti Raymi 2027 falls on Thursday, 24 June 2027.
Fixed date, 24 June; Cusco's wider festival month runs through June.
Date checked against timeanddate.com
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 June 2026Wed | 1 day | Past |
| 2027 | 24 June 2027Thu | 1 day | Confirmed |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Spirit & Ancestry
- Tradition
- Indigenous
- Where
- Cusco, Cusco Region
- Crowd
- Tens of thousands in Cusco
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
Sacsayhuamán at 8am on 24 June: several hundred actors in woven tunics, a llama, and the winter solstice sun arriving through the stone doorways.
Inti Raymi was the Inca ceremony to Inti, the sun god, held at the solstice in the southern winter. It was banned by the Spanish in 1572 and revived as a public theatrical reconstruction in 1944.
The modern version is a scripted three-act performance that runs from the Qorikancha through the Plaza de Armas to Sacsayhuamán. Cusco's Feast of Corpus Christi, a week later, is the one the city's own residents treat as more important.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Inti Raymi
Traditions
What actually happens
- The Qorikancha invocation — the opening scene at the Inca sun temple in the city centre.
- The Plaza de Armas meeting — the Sapa Inca carried on a litter through the crowd.
- Sacsayhuamán sacrifice — llama blood offered to the sun, re-enacted rather than performed.
- Cusco's Corpus Christi — fifteen saints' images processed with a communal meal.
Food
The table, widened
- Chiri uchu, the cold festival platter: cuy, charqui, chicken, corn cake, cheese and rocoto.
- Chicha de jora, and the maize beer poured on the ground before anyone drinks.
Music
Sound of the crowd
Quena, zampoña and charango, with the huayno rhythm underneath. The official performance uses a purpose-composed score rather than historical reconstruction.
Religion
Why this date
The Inca calendar was solar and solstice-based, with Inti as the dynasty's ancestor. Post-conquest the festival was transferred to Corpus Christi, which is why Cusco's June carries two overlapping religious calendars.
History
How it survived
Described by Garcilaso de la Vega in his Comentarios Reales, which remains the fullest account of what the ceremony actually involved. The 1944 reconstruction by Faustino Espinosa Calderón established the script still performed annually.
History
How it got here
Described by Garcilaso de la Vega in his Comentarios Reales, which remains the fullest account of what the ceremony actually involved. The 1944 reconstruction by Faustino Espinosa Calderón established the script still performed annually.
c. 1450
The Inca rite
Inti Raymi held at the solstice, with the Sapa Inca presiding over the offering.
1572
Prohibition
The Spanish ban the ceremony; observance moves underground for three centuries.
1944
Reconstruction
The festival is restaged as a public theatrical performance in Cusco.
Today
Peak season
June is Cusco's high point — Inti Raymi, then Corpus Christi a week later.
Travel & practical
Visiting Cusco for Inti Raymi
Getting there
CUZ, then the 20-minute transfer down into the valley. Acclimatise for two days first.
Viewing
Free standing areas fill by 6am. Paid grandstand seats on the Sacsayhuamán terraces sell out.
Practical notes
It is the dry season's coldest week. Bring a down jacket and sun protection simultaneously.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Inti Raymi: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Inti Raymi.
Is it authentic?
It is a documented reconstruction, performed continuously since 1944. It is theatre built on scholarship.
Is a llama really sacrificed?
No. The sacrifice is symbolically re-enacted; no animal is harmed in the modern performance.
What else happens in June?
Corpus Christi, a week later, and the Q'oyoriti pilgrimage to the glacier in the same month.
Also in June 2027
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